How do you start selling abroad?

Are you planning to sell abroad? Today, we’ll give you some tips on what steps you should take to succeed outside Poland.

Most owners of online shops start out locally and then gradually expand their business. Cross-border sales are, in fact, one of the most profitable business ventures, but one for which you need to be properly prepared.

Select a location and research the competition

Firstly, choose the area where you want to sell. To do this, assess the demand for your products. Carry out A/B testing in different locations. If you’re considering selling abroad in the UK, investigate whether your brand and product range might be better received in France.

Once you’ve chosen the right location, check out your competitors. Find out about their prices and the products they offer. Search for the social media profiles and websites of the relevant companies and assess how they communicate with their customers.

Sprawdź najbardziej popularne marketplace’y na danym obszarze. Obecnie to głównie na nich odbywa się handel internetowy. Najpopularniejszymi platformami sprzedażowymi na świecie są Amazon, AliExpress, Allegro i eBay.

Get to know your audience and their culture

As we mentioned earlier, check the demand for your products in a given country. In addition, assess the financial capacity of potential customers. If your range includes premium products, it is unlikely that you will sell them in an area where people have limited disposable income.

Get to know the culture of your target audience. Learn about their norms, customs and traditions. This is extremely important when promoting a brand. After all, you don’t want to commit a faux pas by touching a ‘sensitive nerve’ with potential customers.

Develop a brand communication strategy and create different language versions of your online shop. To do this, work with a professional translator, ideally one who lives in the relevant region and is familiar with the slogans, idioms and conventions of your target audience’s native language. Remember that not everyone is fluent in English, so you’ll need to adapt your product descriptions to suit your users.

Tax and customs law

In every country, the law may differ from one another. When planning to expand your business into the e-commerce sector abroad, you must take into account the various payment rules and not just.

Find out how much customs duty and VAT will cost you. Also bear in mind the differences in the processing of personal data outside the European Union. On this matter, contact a lawyer, preferably one who specialises in the law of the country in question. If your budget allows for a longer-term collaboration, hire them on a long-term basis and entrust them with the legal aspects of your business.

Make sure you arrange shipment abroad

One of the most important aspects of international sales is shipping. First and foremost, check the offers from various logistics and transport companies. Compare their prices, services and delivery times. Finally, choose the company that best meets your requirements.

Remember to carefully review the returns policy. Take into account the associated costs, including postage and storage.

One factor that facilitates cross-border trade is the customer’s attitude towards order fulfilment times. Research shows that customers are willing to wait longer for a particular product if they are informed of this in advance. In addition, offer them the option to track their parcel to make the waiting period more comfortable for them.

Promote yourself abroad beyond

“Advertising is the lifeblood of trade”, even when doing business abroad. Promote your brand on social media and other paid advertising channels, such as Google Ads. Share engaging content that ties in with the culture of the country in question. In this case, content enriched with local jokes and memes, as well as real-time marketing, will work well.

Take into account the popularity of various social media channels. Research shows that Facebook is the most popular choice in the United States and Europe, whilst Instagram ranks second in the US but only fifth in Europe. Due to restrictions on Facebook in Asia, it will not be the best choice in that region.

To sum up, selling abroad requires a great deal of work, analysis and research. Follow our guidance and you’ll be well prepared to enter the cross-border trade market. You might also want to consider adapting your brand for international sales. Remember, we’re here to help you with all of this!